1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electric power generation. More specifically, the present invention is a system for augmented electric power generation with distilled water output. An absorption refrigeration unit enhances the efficiency of the system by both preheating wastewater prior to distillation, and cooling intake air to a gas turbine electric power generator to increase the power output of the gas turbine.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the generation of electrical power, efficiency is desired to maximize the benefit extracted from a given amount of fuel or energy input into the power generating system. Efficiency may be gained by both reducing the amount of energy lost in the electrical power generation process and by recovering lost energy to power other processes.
In numerous electrical power generating systems, the primary form of energy used to drive electrical generators, or the primary energy by-product, is heat. In a typical example, a gas turbine is used to drive an electrical generator. A fuel source is combusted to drive the gas turbine, and the combustion by-products, primarily hot combustion gasses, are discharged.
Often, the hot combustion gasses are used as an energy source to drive an additional process. In the case of a combined cycle gas turbine power generation system, the combustion gasses, or flue gasses, are used in a heat recovery steam generator to generate steam that is used to drive a steam turbine for the generation of additional electrical power. Steam so created may also be used for another industrial process, such as a distillation or evaporative process where the heat energy of the steam itself, rather than electric power or another intermediate energy form, is directly used by the industrial process.
At some point, however, a surplus of heat energy usually remains as a waste product. Additionally, heat energy withdrawn from the initial process may result in a loss of the output of the initial process.
In a combined cycle gas turbine power generation system, employing steam drawn from the combined cycle power generation system to power a distillation process to produce purified, distilled water, excess heat from the steam turbine is used in an evaporator or distillation system. After the distillation process, however, residual heat energy is wasted. It is desirable to capture the wasted residual heat energy in a useful manner such that the residual heat energy can be re-introduced into the system for an overall increase in system output and efficiency.
Thus a system for augmented electric power generation with distilled water output solving the aforementioned problems is desired.